


Nathaniel/Velanna - 50 Sentence Challenge (Delta)

by tehloserprince



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening
Genre: 50 Sentences, F/M, LiveJournal Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-05
Updated: 2015-02-05
Packaged: 2018-03-10 14:48:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3294353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tehloserprince/pseuds/tehloserprince
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Velanna and Nathaniel Howe's for one of the 50 Sentence Challenges posted on LiveJournal (link posted in the notes). I adore this pairing, and there's not nearly enough of it in the fandom. Oh Velanna, your grumpiness your fills my heart with glee.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nathaniel/Velanna - 50 Sentence Challenge (Delta)

**Author's Note:**

> Stumbled on this set of "50 Sentence Challenges" when I was going through a nasty case of writer's block: http://1sentenceorder.livejournal.com/1531.html. I've worked my way through the other challenges, which helped me get back on track with my writing. I highly recommend these types of challenges to struggling writers; they can really make you pause and think about the words that you select.
> 
> At any rate, this is the first challenge that I completed. Nathaniel Howe/Velanna, because there's not nearly enough of this pairing in the fandom and I adore them. I especially adore Velanna and her (justifiably) grumpy self.
> 
> Original work in progress was posted on my Tumblr, ages ago, at http://sixxxcents.tumblr.com/.

**#01 Air**  
Their first kiss is slow, hesitant at first, growing into something more passionate; they emerge only when the need for oxygen becomes too overwhelming to ignore.

**#02 Apples**  
Of all the things he’d ever had to drink, he never enjoyed anything quite as much as the apple cider she made for him when he was sick; if it meant having her fuss over him, even a little bit, then he decided that catching the occasional cold might not be such a bad thing.

**#03 Beginning**  
Eventually, she accepted his invitation for a walk in the neighboring forest; it was the beginning of a routine they would share for years to come, something that each would look forward to as a welcome reprieve from their routine.

**#04 Bugs**  
Although Velanna was still wary of humans in general, she decided to give Nathaniel’s sister, Delilah, a chance; after all, anyone who used to hide beetles in his blankets can’t be all _that_ bad.

**#05 Coffee**  
Being a Grey Warden was not conducive to having a good night’s sleep; at least they were able to spend some of those sleepless nights together, gazing into the campfire and occasionally sharing stories over mugs of coffee as they waited for dawn.

**#06 Dark**  
Nathaniel’s bedroom is dark, save for the sliver of moonlight peeking through the curtains, barely illuminating Velanna’s skin; he traces her curves with calloused fingertips, memorizing every detail and tucking them away for future reference.

**#07 Despair**  
In all his years of fighting on the battlefield, Nathaniel had never seen someone as strong as Velanna look so defeated; she stood next to the fresh graves, fists clenched, shoulders hunched, looking very much like a wounded animal readying itself for one last fight.

**#08 Doors**  
Velanna tries so desperately to keep herself closed off, but somehow he’s managed to pick his way through each locked door in his path, gradually earning her friendship and- even more surprisingly- her trust; it is, in his mind, the most precious gift that he has ever been given.

**#09 Drink**  
Nathaniel couldn’t get over the fact that Velanna was able to drink some of Oghren’s “special brew” without so much as flinching; as a very drunk Oghren clapped Velanna on the back, guffawing in his amusement, Nathaniel quickly looked away and made a mental note never to challenge her in a drinking game.

**#10 Duty**  
In spite of their first meeting, Nathaniel is relieved when Velanna survives her Joining, stepping forward to swear her oath to the Grey Wardens.

**#11 Earth**  
He marvels at the way her hands work the soil; she seems to have an innate sense of the land, knowing instinctively which areas will need extra attention in order for their seeds to flourish.

**#12 End**  
When the time comes for their Calling, each knows they will not allow the other to answer it alone.

**#13 Fall**  
Crisp leaves crunched beneath their feet on their usual walk through the woods; although Nathaniel was amazed by the bursts of color on the remaining foliage, he had to admit that it all paled in comparison next to the woman walking beside him.

**#14 Fire**  
He has seen mages work their craft before, but somehow it’s more intoxicating when Velanna summons fire, the flames dancing across her fingertips as she delicately lights the candles in his bedroom.

**#15 Flexible**  
Velanna calls him exasperating; Nathaniel prefers to think that he is simply _flexible_ with his responses to her questions.

**#16 Flying**  
In childhood games with her sister, Velanna told him, she had often pretended to be a fierce dragon; he smiled at the idea of the scrawny elf girl chasing her sister around the forest, waving sticks in place of wings and “roaring” ferociously in her pursuit.

**#17 Food**  
She’d doubted him when he bragged about being a good cook, but had to admit that the stew he’d made for them at camp was _quite_ good… for a human’s work, of course.

**#18 Foot**  
She feigns exasperation as he removes his boots, wanting to experience their usual walk barefoot, as she does; still, it’s interesting to watch for his reactions as bare skin meets each new sensation: rock, soil, and water.

**#19 Grave**  
Nathaniel watched as she planted a tree in memory of her sister; although her sister isn’t _technically_ dead, it brings her some small comfort to mourn her loss, to have a place to come and honor her memory.

**#20 Green**  
Previously, Nathaniel had never given much thought to having a favorite color; now, he found himself enamored by various shades of green- particularly, the shades that reminded him of her eyes, like wet grass after a hard rain.

**#21 Head**  
She would feign annoyance that Nathaniel had fallen asleep with his head in her lap; unbeknownst to him, however, Velanna had stroked his hair and admired its silkiness as he slept.

**#22 Hollow**  
She’s pleased with herself when her lips find the unlikely spot that makes him shiver and moan- the hollow of his throat, soft and smooth in comparison to the stubble covering his face.

**#23 Honor**  
She wants to scoff at him when he speaks of his desire to bring _honor_ to the Howe family name, of things like the true meaning of _nobility_ and _respect_ ; in truth, Nathaniel’s convictions begin to spark something within Velanna: a small, nagging idea that perhaps not all humans are the same.

**#24 Hope**  
He celebrates the small victories with Velanna, hope for their relationship growing with each new step: first, when he was no longer referred to as “shem”; next, when even “human” became a thing of the past; and finally, when she began referring to him by his given name, Nathaniel.

**#25 Light**  
She’s already awake when the morning light shines through the slit in his curtains, slowly illuminating the sleeping man beside her; she reaches out to brush a strand of his hair behind one of his ears, surprising herself with the tenderness of the gesture.

**#26 Lost**  
When Velanna first joined their group in the Wending Wood, Nathaniel couldn’t help but feel that she seemed very lost among them; in spite of her abrasive replies, he continued his attempts at conversation, hoping to make her feel more at ease among their group. 

**#27 Metal**  
The taste of blood in his mouth is like copper; ignoring his injuries, he scans the battlefield for Velanna, relaxing and tending to his own wounds only after making sure that she’s safe.

**#28 New**  
After they make love for the first time, they lay in each other’s arms, each having their own thoughts about this new chapter in their relationship; this was something terrifying and new, yet oddly comforting and full of unspoken promises.

**#29 Old**  
She’s fascinated when they find some of the Howe family’s old portraits in a store room; she looks from a portrait of the younger Nathaniel to the grown man standing next to her, wondering at the events that shaped him along his journey… and the events that kept him from becoming his father.

**#30 Peace**  
So much of their time is occupied with the pursuit and defeat of the darkspawn; he treasures the moments when it’s just the two of them, hiding away from the world and its responsibilities, if only for a little while.

**#31 Poison**  
Biting her lip, Velanna realized that she may have seemed too panicked when tending to Nathaniel’s injuries, the result of a poison-tipped arrow from a darkspawn archer; she unsuccessfully tried to convince herself that she was simply worried about Nathaniel slowing down the expedition and that there was nothing more to it.

**#32 Pretty**  
“It _can’t_ be the first time someone’s said you’re pretty,” Nathaniel laughed gently; she turned away quickly, hoping he wouldn’t see the blush on her cheeks as she all but admitted that it _was_.

**#33 Rain**  
When he met her at the entrance to the Keep, he couldn’t tell if the spots on her face were tears or simply the result of standing in the rain for hours on end, grieving silently by the tree planted in her sister’s memory; he knew better than to ask, choosing instead to wrap his cloak around her before accompanying her inside. 

**#34 Regret**  
Nathaniel and Velanna are no strangers to regret; however, each is determined that the other will never be counted among these regrets.

**#35 Roses**  
Presenting her with a rose was such a _human_ thing for him to do; still, she felt a glimmer of satisfaction as she noted the envious stares of the other women - and some of the men - in the Keep.

**#36 Secret**  
Theirs is the worst-kept secret at Vigil’s Keep.

**#37 Snakes**  
“Honestly, it’s just a harmless snake,” Velanna mutters, releasing the creature into the surrounding wilderness; Nathaniel tries unsuccessfully to stifle a laugh as the maids look on in bewilderment.

**#38 Snow**  
He sees it for only a moment, but it’s a moment that he’ll treasure for the rest of his life: the way her eyes light up like a child’s as she catches the first glimpse of falling snow outside of the Keep.

**#39 Solid**  
 _These are strange times indeed_ , Nathaniel thought to himself, in light of their most recent dealings with the darkspawn known simply as “The Architect”; still, with Velanna to stand beside him, he felt more certain of his own footing, felt that the ground beneath him was a little more solid and stable.

**#40 Spring**  
When the first flowers of Spring appear, Nathaniel playfully tucks a bright bloom behind her ear, noting that it complements her hair quite nicely; she feigns annoyance, but allows the flower to remain there for the rest of the afternoon.

**#41 Stable**  
There is so much passion in his kiss that Velanna is certain she’d lose her footing if he wasn’t holding her so closely to him.

**#42 Strange**  
Although Delilah was initially puzzled by their unusual relationship, she couldn’t deny that Velanna had made quite an impact on her brother; she laughed as he related the woes of having to shave his face dutifully, keeping only a small patch of a beard beneath his lips, after Velanna had complained about his face being “too scratchy.”

**#43 Summer**  
She tells herself that the sudden increase in body temperature must be related to the weather and _not_ to the fact that he is practicing his archery _without a shirt_. 

**#44 Taboo**  
The thought should disgust her, but there are times when she can’t help but wonder: what _would_ their child look like?

**#45 Ugly**  
Nathaniel jokes about his family’s inability to escape “the Howe nose,” and she catches the smallest hint of insecurity on his face as he turns away from his father’s portrait; Velanna finds his nose attractive, well-suited to his face, and can’t understand why it would bother him.

**#46 – War**  
As Velanna watches Nathaniel sleep so peacefully, she hates to think of where they might be had the Blight not interrupted their respective paths in life; she is both confused and frightened by the realization that she is exactly where she _wants_ to be – exile, Grey Wardens, and all.

**#47 Water**  
Soaking in the warm bath is a welcome reprieve from her day; however, the man whose strong hands were massaging the soreness from her aching shoulders was the best part. 

**#48 Welcome**  
He’s exhausted as he returns to Vigil’s Keep after an extended voyage into the Deep Roads; she has been waiting for him to return, and he is only _truly_ home when she’s wrapped in his arms, chiding him gently for his late return.

**#49 Winter**  
Although the winter months are colder than usual, they find creative ways to stay warm, relishing the occasional day that can be spent hidden away in his bedroom.

**#50 Wood**  
Velanna told herself that she had given him the ring made of sylvanwood as a good luck charm; deep down, she hoped that bringing some part of her on the expedition with him would keep Nathaniel safe, ensuring his swift return to Vigil’s Keep.


End file.
